3 hours passed and by the time we reached the outskirts of the DMZ, my friends were knocked out onto the leather seats. However, for some reason, I couldn't fall asleep. My brain screamed for sleep, but my eyes protested and forced itself to stare out the blank window. As it did, the quantity of the buildings began to shrink more and more as we approached closer to the DMZ. We were currently in Yonchon, and the atmosphere certainly did not feel welcoming at the moment. The city began to look like a total ghost town- the only thing that made it feel welcoming were the warning signs ahead. I shuddered and looked away from the window and decided to stare at my shoes that were nervously bouncing up and down. 

After a long 20 minutes, the bus slowed down in front of what seemed to be a small booth. That booth represented an opening to the "other" Korea. Sure, it was tiny, but that booth wasn't something to laugh at. Defending that little "joke" was a never ending fence that was coated with barbed wire. To be honest, it scared me and my friends who were beginning to wake up.

"We're here?" Onew asked, rubbing his eyes. I turned around to look at him and saw that he was looking around in all directions- until he met my eyes.

"Jonghyun, you were awake the entire time?" He asked. I shrugged and smiled softly at him.

"Couldn't fall asleep. You should wake up everyone and let them know we're here."

Onew nodded and softly tugged the rest of the sleeping members in the van. One by one, they each slowly rose in an upright position and looked around the place with their wandering eyes.

The bus slowly rolled past the booth and down the outstretched road. It eventually led us to a section of the DMZ where there were nothing but mini tent-like buildings on each side of the road. As soon as the van came to a full stop, each and every single one of us was forced to hop out of the car and show the soldier our I.Ds. The soldier was American, which meant that he was on South Korea's side. 

"Follow me," He said in a konglish (Korean+English) accent. I couldn't help but to snicker at his pronounciation; the only response I received was another playful punch from Taemin. The soldier led us into a 'tent' and stood next to a S. Korean soldier and  2 other people (who looked like citizens).

"Listen up," The S. Korean soldier stated. "You guys are all here for a reason. I expect you to ONLY stick to that reason and don't stray off with any other ideas. These 2 men-" He motioned to the 2 citizens who bowed as they were called. "These 2 men are your guidance. They will take you throughout the journey. They are your guide- your allies. Do you understand?"

Each and every single one of us yelled back "Yes!" in agreement. From looking at all of my friend's and the director's face, it seemed as if the word "fear" have slapped them across the face. I sighed and looked straight at the 2 North Korean citizens who were about to speak.

"I'm going to say the attendance," one man said as he pulled out a sheet of paper. He cleared his throat numerous times and then began to speak.
"Choi Minho?"
"Here!"
"Lee Taemin?"
"Here."
"Lee Jinki?"
"Here!"
"Kim Jonghyun?
Kim Jonghyun?"

"Yah! Jonghyun!" Jinki yelled. I flinched and yelled "Here!". I must have dozed off- it's been hours since I have slept. 

The North Korean citizen rolled his eyes and put away the paper. He then strolled over to the door and opened it, motioning his hand to our van. 

"I will direct you all to Pyongyang, our capital. It would take a few hours-"
All of a sudden, Jinki began to groan loudly in frustration.
The North Korean stopped for a minute, then continued.
"It would take a few hours- but along the way, you will see how glorious our country is."

With that being said, we all walked outside and strolled back into our crammed van. As I stared out into the window, everybody was watching us. The soldiers were as stiff as rocks with their eyes glued on nothing more than our car. It intimidated me, to be honest. I sulked into my chair to the point where only my eyes were the only thing to be seen from an outsider's point-of-view. The 2 North Koreans got into their own car and drove in front of us- and with that realization, the director immediately the van, allowed it to roar to life for a minute, and began to slowly stalk the car in front of us. It felt as if my life was going to begin all over again.

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